Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-12-04
OUR COUNTRY.
uv1 MIRACULOUS GROWTH IN rEE
"' CENTURY.
o..,ol and Instructive Address BY
wr. BOykin Wright, OF
Augusts, Ga.

: .i;vcrcd the following graceful ana IN
tive address. Mr.. Wright 1t will
=, r.nembercd, married daughter OF
~ r G.. Cabell, of this city;
Ore hundred years ago the United
..,trs ~. America took its place among
,Ic nations OF the earth. Only a lev
LIS SINCE. in the historic city OF ITS
,sr,S he National Constitution OF this
Id had lis first centennicl cclebra-
-. ON that day but ten short decades
- was born into the world new
,.,.op--a nation whose history, politi-
social. and industrial, has
IN a, once the marvel aad the
,1..,r.,.on OF all civilized peo-
~. Think Of it The patriots VINO
ii.-,i,sI the Revolution, all told, with
e. wives. children, and slaves,
civ numbered two and hall
,...r.oas If souls. Our occupied
t---..,rv comprised but narrow
i'r,.r O.. land stretched along
ne Atlantic coast and extending west
NM no, farther than the Alleghahies'
d. o1r sericultural. industrial, ahd com-
,...-c... existence We were as yet literally
r,horn. And yet, as We pause to-day IN
fine Journey o. our national progress az
fbis'eud If the century, viewing win
rri3c and gratitude the trmmphs OF the
ia,t and with hope and confidence III
Tie clou,s Of the future, what WondrouS
transformations We behold. NoW We
have nearly sixty millions Of busy, enter
rrsiug. lroe people, occupying WIN @o-
tsur,1 agriculture and countless INDUS
IN. u 3 rIt0v extending from the
northern hkts 81 the Gulf OF NeXico,
aud ael1,, the continent from the Attain
tct,tir Pacific Ocean, embracing nearly
forrmili9u square miles III area, ana
,,.rv variety of climate from the Afcuc
,...1,. ID tn, tropics, and every knC wn
,r..Iu.t al tine (Seli. whether grown on
"a, agf-.Do " stored iu the bowels OF the
,r.h. Uu. not alone in population and
domain is the prodigious growth maize
manifest. Why. in point OF the accu-
minated wealth oi nations. 10 You know
that tire United States stands absolutely
ffst-ulth0ut even competitor among
fire s'>trrlool OF ul'iols-haylng TINS
iiu'ou>ly short period OF time out
stripped the mother country IN national
aainouce u.s. over iour billions of dollars
OF the precious metals alone the start
ling fact is verified bv official statistics
that s.carnunly furnishes a little more
than u. milf oi oh the silver that Is
produces from tie combined mines of
tle globe. while one third of all the gold
taken from t.e earth IS contributed by
tbe rch veins of our own generous soil.
Her annual cod product is 10000, 600
ton. the uroluct OF Iron In lSS6amOunt-
cj 20 4l,0uJ,Ol0 tons, having increased
iu the production of piglr0n alone from
2JU.OIl tons m 1879 o. $500 oO IN
lssG Our country produces j0O,oCo,-
OI0 bushels Of wheat, more than twice
q, much as France or India or hus-
Hl. the other larEest grmn-produ-
eng countries IN the world she
produces seventeen hundred million
bushels oi conn., I'VE hundred million
pounds Of tobacco. SIX and IA halt mil
Ion bales of cotton annually Her aS-
rrulurai products exceed Eneland's IN
value 10y one and hall million dollars
her manufactures 10y about the same. |
but ] iorbear Suffice II 70 say that, !
though yet I'D her national infancy, the |
mmH aggregated industries OF our
country exceed 10y. over S2,OJJ,OOO |
that oi the United hlngdom, the
one country ln tue world most nearly
app. ''uhl olis ID the volume Oh It's
WuuH products And these products
I''e iol Their transportation besides our
'... Ii-.s 'II mighty MYERS loo'UUO
L...' o' runway ABOUT as much 10 mile
'' l' 'ou'a'4gd III an Tue other Ia
l'.s 90 'le "oI'u Put loSetheT "a ana neI
l.-le A'7 @, us command iou,uOO mics
gI ltitertlh one thirl OF the electIlc
.'h'' 'i i"e world, To say nothing OF the
'l'N'ai"s ol miles OIL caDie "hlch'
stretching across the Atlantic connects
Tire Nt" with tine Old World ana make
t.c markets OF Chrlstendom one.
Standing today As we do, here amid
these magic creations, overwhelmed by
Che magnitude and grandeur Of the cen
tuy. work on the Western Continent,
Tas lt saerIlegc in Grover Cleveland
when, in his speech at Philadelphia, he
pronounced IL not the work of man, but
ihe latest miracle Of God?
1e-. veuiy. to God be the praise-to
Him ascr0o the honor; TO Him, Father
OF nations, the King of kings, the
iultr Of the rulers OF men.
bnt our national blessings have not
been confined to material developments
.one Indeed, We may well conclude
Sat these have been in "A large measure
lse 20 the benign influence OF our govern
Int aud the iIcc institutions under
which We live. No people can be termed
.r0ly blessed who are not happy and free.
true our Constitution was not the first
written instrument which professed 10
10 the people their liberties,
.ut it may be safely said that II was the
ilt 10 fulfil the promise.
Under this Constitution we're secured
10 us those same precious ana lnailena0ie
1rhts which were guaranteed 10 the
-'ghsh people by the Magma Char'a'
'at unlike. as III me case OF 'naI COM
pact, onr liberties ana not uePeno upon
% hlngiy. promise, hing 'o'n H"u
'carcely ieit me plans OF mummy h'ue'
where the Lnelish paroho h"u WIRING
nom ms uh"hihB manu- snv IoS,I s'B
nature 70 t9at sacred cuaf', before ne hAa